


To Us

by Ink_Gypsy



Series: Lucky Clover Diner Universe [27]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF (AU)
Genre: M/M, Sean Astin/Elijah Wood - Freeform, birthday mathom, lucky clover diner universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 16:05:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15952808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ink_Gypsy/pseuds/Ink_Gypsy
Summary: When Elijah surprises him by making breakfast, Sean reflects on how his life has changed for the better since Elijah came into it.





	To Us

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a birthday mathom for my friends.

[](https://imgur.com/ymJBJ7a)

Between Sean and Elijah, Sean was clearly the early riser of the two. Since the Lucky Clover opened at eight, he was used to rolling out of bed at six and going over to open up the diner and help get things organized as the kitchen and wait staff began their day.

He had continued on the same schedule after Elijah’s arrival, often out of the apartment while Elijah was still asleep, but it was harder to get out of bed these days, simply because lying there with Elijah curled around him felt so damn good.

Even if they’d had sex the night before, if he woke first, spooned behind Elijah, Sean was tempted to slip into him again while Elijah was still asleep. He always resisted the temptation because it didn’t feel right without Elijah’s consent, but if Elijah woke and wanted him, too, they’d make love again.

Then there was shower sex. Sean still remembered the first time he’d been in the shower and Elijah had pulled back the shower curtain and stepped into the tub so they stood together under the cascading water. Taking Elijah under the pounding spray had been both exciting and invigorating, but as much as Sean would have enjoyed starting his day that same way every morning, he knew if he did he wouldn’t have the strength to make it to the diner, much less put in a full day’s work there.

Once Elijah began working at the diner with him, they normally left the apartment together, but most mornings, he was up first, was showered, dressed and in the kitchen making breakfast before Elijah was even out of bed, so Sean was surprised one Wednesday morning to find himself alone in bed. He pulled on boxers and wandered into the kitchen to find Elijah making coffee and talking to Cocoa.

As Elijah worked, he spoke to Cocoa, describing the menu he’d planned while the cat they’d rescued last Christmas Eve sat on a stool by the counter, her head tilted as she studied him, looking not only as if she was listening to him, but that she understood every word Elijah was saying.

“What’s this?” Sean asked.

Elijah froze and mumbled, “Fuck.” Turning around, he said, “I thought you were still asleep. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”

Sean smiled. “It’s not my birthday. What’s the occasion?”

“There doesn’t have to be an occasion to do something nice for somebody, does there?” Elijah wanted to know.

Sean shook his head. “Nope. I’m just surprised is all.”

“You make breakfast every morning,” Elijah explained. “I thought you should have the morning off, at least until we get to work.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.”

“I guess there’s no point in breakfast in bed now,” Elijah said with obvious disappointment, “but you can still enjoy it here in the kitchen.” He turned back to the counter. “Go take your shower,” he ordered. “Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re dressed.”

Sean gave him a lecherous grin. “I don’t suppose I could talk you into joining me in the shower.”

“No way,” Elijah said quickly. “If I do that, neither of us will get any breakfast and we’ll both be late for work.”

“Okay,” Sean gave in, and went to take his shower.

Elijah was as good as his word. When Sean walked into the kitchen, freshly-showered and dressed, Elijah had breakfast on the table: eggs, bacon, buttered toast, coffee, and orange juice.

“These are great,” Sean announced as he sampled his scrambled eggs. They weren’t too runny or too hard. The bacon was fine, too, just crisp enough, and the toast lightly browned the way he preferred it.

Elijah beamed. “Joe lets me practice when it’s not busy,” he said, referring to the Lucky Clover’s cook, “just simple stuff like this. He says a man should know how to feed himself and not expect someone will always be around to cook for him.”

“It’s a good lesson,” Sean agreed, “and when we get to the diner, I’ll tell Joe to give you an A+.”

“Thanks.” Elijah gave Cocoa her breakfast, filled her water bowl, then sat down at the table and began to eat his own eggs. “Wouldn’t it be cheaper if we had all our meals at the diner?” he asked. “We eat lunch there, so wouldn’t it save money if we had breakfast and dinner there, too?”

It wasn’t really cheaper, since Sean was paying for the food either way, but eating at the diner was exactly what he had done before Elijah came into his life. He was a fair cook, but preparing meals for one, sitting at his kitchen table every morning eating breakfast alone, then repeating the act every evening at dinner was depressing, so he chose to eat all his meals at the diner where he could have company and conversation. He extended the courtesy of a free lunch to his staff, which he knew they appreciated, though not all took advantage of the offer. Taking your lunch hour where you worked made it hard to feel as if you were off the clock, so he took no offense that the majority of his staff ate their lunch at one of his competitors.

“I’d rather not eat at the diner unless I have to,” Sean said.

”Why?” Elijah wanted to know. “Don’t you like Joe’s cooking?”

Sean chuckled. “I like it just fine, but I prefer making breakfast and dinner for us.”

“Because you like to cook?”

Sean shook his head. “Because I like to cook for you.” That wasn’t totally true. “Because I like to cook for us,” he corrected. Still not the whole story. “I guess what I like the most is that there _is_ an us, and living here, doing normal things like having breakfast and dinner together in our own home reminds me of how lucky we are to have that time together.”

Elijah grinned. “We could start coming home for lunch,” he suggested.

Sean chuckled. “I don’t think we have to go that far, but eating breakfast and dinner here, I really want to keep doing that, unless you don’t want to.”

Elijah gave him a radiant smile. “When it’s slow, I’m going to ask Joe to help me practice on something other than eggs. Then the next meal I’ll make for you will be dinner.”

Smitten all over again, Sean smiled. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life, Elijah.”

“Same here,” Elijah replied. “You gave me a home, Sean.”

Sean had to disagree. “No, Elijah, this place wasn’t a home until you got here. It was only a set of rooms I occupied when I wasn’t at work, a place for me to sleep until it was time to go back to the diner. Your love made it into a home for the two of us.”

“And Cocoa,” Elijah reminded him.

“And Cocoa,” Sean agreed. He raised his glass of orange juice and motioned for Elijah to do the same. When Elijah’s glass was raised, Sean tapped the rim of his own against it. “Here’s to you, Elijah,” he toasted.

“No, not to me.” Elijah rejected Sean’s toast in favor of a different one. “Here’s to us.”

“To us,” Sean echoed. They drank, and even if it had been French champagne in their glasses instead of orange juice, Elijah’s toast couldn’t have been more special to him.


End file.
